Tiraka
Tiraka, '''officially the '''Republic of Tiraka '''is a nation in the Gulf of Mexico, made up of 3 main islands; Tiraka, St. Andrew and Mienna. It is situated to the West of the Florida peninsula, North of Cuba and North-East of Mexico. It has been an independent republic since March 20 1903, when US President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Declaration of Tiraka Independence, after a referendum showed 72% support for independence. The islands were inhabited by native Americans by 200CE. It was first discovered by British explorer Matthew London in 1521, and claimed for Britain in 1544. In 1776, Tiraka, along with the other states, became part of the United States. This continued until 1903. Etymology The country is named after its largest island, Tiraka. The island's name probably comes from the indigenous language of the Airano people. The Airanos called the main island Trekn, which may be the origin of Tiraka. It's first documented use was in a 1532 map by Alfred McMillan, where the islands were labelled 'Tireccia'. When Britain claimed the islands, they were officially described as 'Tireci Islands'. Other variations through history of the name include 'Tiraki', 'Tireka' and 'Tirakia'. History '''Prehistory All of the main islands in Tiraka had been inhabited by native Americans since at least 200CE. There were inhabited by various groups, including the Airano people. Many names of areas in Tiraka (including Tiraka itself) come from the Airano language of Sili. The Airanos and other groups mostly relied of fishing and hunter-gathering, with little agriculture. English colonisation The islands were first discovered by Europeans in 1521, after an expedition lead by Matthew London. He first landed on the East coast of Mienna on the 6th of January, and by March had mapped out all of the islands' coasts. In 1544 several colonies were set up on the Tiraka Island, and they were claimed by Britain. By 1570 the population of the islands was over 15,000. In the first few decades of its colonisation, infectious diseases killed off over 90% of the Tiraka islands' natives, with most of the remainder residing in the uncolonised islands in the North. The slave trade was extremely prevalent in Tiraka, with the slave population exceeding 75% at some points. United States Tiraka was one of the original states of the USA. It fought on the Southern side during the civil war Slave Uprising In June 1863, during the American civil war, thousands of Tirakan slaves formed a spontaneous uprising, many killing their masters. They declared the islands an independent nation, calling it the Free Nation of Tiraka. However, by October, the revolution had been ended, and the leaders of the movement killed, and the rest of the ex-slaves re-enslaved Independence In the 1890s, the black population of Tiraka was well over 60%, and memories of the slave uprising were alive and well, encouraging support for an independent Tiraka. In 1903 a referendum took place, with compulsory voting. 73% voted for independence. Of the black population however, it was around 90%. The first president of Tiraka was Harold Green. Tiraka remained neutral, and did not participate in the World Wars. In 1927, women over 35 were given the vote, while men over 20 could vote. In 1934, this was reduced to 30, and then to 20 in 1937. In 1956 the voting age for men and women was brought to 18. Demographics Largest Cities There are 18 cities with a population of over 100,000. 8 are on the island of Tiraka, 7 on the island of Mienna, 2 on the island of St. Andrew, and 1 not on any of the main islands. The biggest 10 cities make up 80.7% of the total population of Tiraka, and the first 4 alone make up almost 60%. The capital and most populous city is Ostler, situated on the South East coast of Tiraka. Of the top 10, 5 are on Tiraka, 3 are on Mienna, 1 is on St. Andrew, and one is on Chant. 'Provinces' There are 19 provinces of the islands. The nation was founded with the creation of 13 provinces. They are, with population in brackets: 0 - Ostler Capital City Province (2,016,000) 1 - Chant & Vincent (316,000) 2 - Upper West Tiraka 3 - Osienno Island 4 - North Tiraka 5 - Lower West Tiraka 6 - North Merrow 7 - South Merrow 8 - Weinberg 9 - Osekket 10 - Stikodet 11 - North St. Andrew 12 - South St. Andrew 13 - Blackharbor 14 - Chandler 15 - Blackcoast 16 - Willingsworth 17 - Port Mienna (1,512,000) 18 - Ellentie Religion The Tiraka constitution guarantees the right to freedom of religion, however there are controversies over religion in schools. For example, state schooling in six Eastern provinces has mandatory morning prayers and in the provinces of Blackharbor and Chandler, children are taught are taught Christianity in school. Tiraka is a predominately Christian country, followed by Islam and a native Tirakan religion, Akher. * 54% Protestant * 12% Catholic * 5% Muslim * 3% Akher * 2% Other * 18% Non religious * 6% Don't know/Didn't answer While attendance of religious services is in decline, it is still relatively high, with 63% attending a religious service at least once a month. This has dropped from 71% in 2000. The most religious areas are those in St. Andrew, Chant and Vincent and North West Tiraka. Language The most common language in Tiraka is English, followed by Spanish and Portuguese. As a first language: * 76% speak English * 13% speak Spanish * 4% speak Portuguese * <2% speak Chinese * 1% speak Sili * 5-6% speak another language Culture Flag of Tiraka ''' The flag of Tiraka consists of three black stars, and four stripes with a downward indent on the right. It was officially adopted on March 20 1903, upon Tiraka's independece, however it had been used since at least 1890 by pro-independence movements. The three stars represent the three main islands of Tiraka, St. Andrew and Mienna. The colour green represents the land, the yellow represents the beaches and the blue represents the sky. The white and red have more religious meanings, with the white being chosen to represent heaven, and red representing God. '''Gay Marriage Gay marriage is legal in three provinces; OCCP, UW Tiraka and Osienno Island. Civil partnerships exist in a further six provinces. Ten provinces have no sort of same-sex union. UW Tiraka was the first to allow gay marriage, in 2003, after the Equal Marriage Act was passed. In 2007 Osienno Island allowed it, and then in the capital district in 2012. In a survey by gay rights group South Bank Tiraka, it was found that in all of Tiraka support for gay marriage was 37%, and support for gay marriage or civil partnerships at 51%. Within the capital support is much higher. 42% support marriage, and including CPs there is 74% support. Abortion Abortion is legal in 12 of the 19 provinces, although the restrictions on it vary from province to province. In 4 provinces abortion is available to women over 18 for the first 8 weeks of their pregnancy. In 4 provinces abortion is available to women over 18 for the first 14 weeks of their pregnancy. In 4 provinces abortion is available to all women for the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. In 7 provinces abortion is not available. Government The government of Tiraka is a Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic. It is split into 19 semi-autonomous provinces. The provinces generally have control over education, abortion, marriage and healthcare. The justice system and foreign policy is controlled unitarily. The current president of Tiraka is Elliot Thornton, and the vice president is John Christchurch. Thornton was elected in 2013. Category:TirakaWorld